Folding collapsible storage box

ABSTRACT

A folding collapsible storage box is disclosed to include a rectangular box body, which has a bottom panel, four hard upright peripheral panels extending around the bottom panel and hinged to one another, and two vertical folding lines respectively formed on two opposite hard upright peripheral panels on the middle to make the box body folding collapsible, a hard bottom panel fitted into the box body to support the box body in shape, and a rectangular box cover, which has four vertical peripheral panels downwardly extending along four sides thereof and four oblique folding lines symmetrically formed on two opposite vertical peripheral panels to make the four vertical peripheral panels folding collapsible.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(a) Technical Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a storage box that can be used as a storage box for keeping things as well as a seat for sitting and more particularly, to a folding collapsible storage box.

(b) Description of the Prior Art

In order to save storage space, many storage box suppliers provide different designs of folding collapsible storage boxes. A folding collapsible storage box is known comprising a flexible rectangular cloth box body and a plurality of rod members supporting the cloth box body in shape. These rod members include four horizontal top rods, four horizontal bottom rods, and four vertical corner rod members. When assembled, the rod members are kept spaced from one another at a distance so that the storage box can be twisted and then folded into a flat status having a reduced size. This structure of storage box is specifically designed for the purpose of keeping things only. Because the box body is made out of a flexible cloth material, the storage box cannot be used as a seat for sitting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary purpose of the present invention is to provide a storage box, which is folding collapsible and can be used as a seat for sitting.

According to one aspect of the present invention, the folding collapsible storage box comprises a rectangular box body, the rectangular box body having a flexible rectangular horizontal bottom panel, four hard upright peripheral panels respectively perpendicularly extending from four sides of the flexible rectangular horizontal bottom panel, the four hard upright peripheral panels being hinged to one another, the four hard upright peripheral panels including two first opposite hard upright peripheral panels that are not bendable and two second opposite hard upright peripheral panels that have a respective vertical folding line through which the second opposite hard upright peripheral panels are respectively foldable; a hard bottom panel fitted into the box body and supportable on the flexible bottom panel to support the box body in shape; and a rectangular box cover for covering the rectangular box body, the rectangular box cover having four vertical peripheral panels downwardly extending along four sides thereof, and four oblique folding lines symmetrically formed on two opposite vertical peripheral panels of the four vertical peripheral panels to make the four vertical peripheral panels folding collapsible.

Preferably, the four hard upright peripheral panels are made of a hard material and joined by a flexible covering (canvass, plastic sheet, fabric, etc.) that is bonded to the whole outer surface of each of the upright peripheral panels

According to another aspect of the present invention, the box cover has the top side provided with a cushion pad inside the covering. Therefore, the user can sit on the box cover above the box body comfortably.

The foregoing object and summary provide only a brief introduction to the present invention. To fully appreciate these and other objects of the present invention as well as the invention itself, all of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art, the following detailed description of the invention and the claims should be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Throughout the specification and drawings identical reference numerals refer to identical or similar parts.

Many other advantages and features of the present invention will become manifest to those versed in the art upon making reference to the detailed description and the accompanying sheets of drawings in which a preferred structural embodiment incorporating the principles of the present invention is shown by way of illustrative example.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a folding collapsible storage box according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the folding collapsible storage box according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box body according to the first embodiment of the present invention (I).

FIG. 4 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box body according to the first embodiment of the present invention (II).

FIG. 5 is a cutaway view of the box cover according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an alternate form of the box cover according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box cover according to the first embodiment of the present invention (I).

FIG. 8 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box cover according to the first embodiment of the present invention (II).

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a folding collapsible storage box according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box body according to the second embodiment of the present invention (I).

FIG. 11 is a schematic drawing showing the folding action of the box body according to the second embodiment of the present invention (II).

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following descriptions are of exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the following description provides a convenient illustration for implementing exemplary embodiments of the invention. Various changes to the described embodiments may be made in the function and arrangement of the elements described without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Referring to FIG. 1, a folding collapsible storage box in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention is shown comprising a rectangular box body 1 and a rectangular box cover 2. The box cover 2 is covered on the top side of the box body 1. The folding collapsible storage box, when extended out, can be used as a seat for sitting.

Referring to FIG. 2, the box body 1 has four upright side panels 11 hinged to one another, and two vertical folding lines 12 respectively formed on two opposite upright peripheral panels 11 on the middle and extending from the bottom side to the top side. Through the vertical folding lines 12, the respective upright peripheral panels 11 are foldable. The upright peripheral panels 11 are not bendable. Preferably, the four upright peripheral panels 11 are made of a hard material and joined by a flexible covering (canvass, plastic sheet, fabric, etc.) that is bonded to the whole outer surface of each of the upright peripheral panels 11. The bottom panel (not shown) of the box body 1 is preferably made out of a flexible material.

In order to support the box body 1 in shape, the invention provides a hard bottom board 3, which is fitted into the inside of the box body 1 and supported on the bottom panel.

The aforesaid box cover 2 fits over the top open side of the box body 1, having four vertical peripheral panels 21 downwardly extending along the four sides, and four oblique folding lines 22 symmetrically formed on two opposite vertical peripheral panels 21 for enabling the four vertical peripheral panels 21 to be collapsed and closely received to the bottom side of the box cover 2. Preferably, the vertical peripheral panels 21 are made of a hard material and joined by a flexible covering (canvass, plastic sheet, fabric, etc.) that is bonded to the whole outer surface of each of the vertical peripheral panels 21. Further, the top side of the box cover 2 is mounted with a cushion pad 23 for sitting comfortably.

When in use, the hard bottom board 3 is fitted into the inside of the box body 1 and supported on the bottom panel of the box body 1, and then the box cover 2 is covered on the top open side of the box body 1. Because the box cover 2 has the cushion pad 23 provided at the top side (within the covering), the user can sit on the box cover 2 of the storage box comfortably.

When not in use, the box cover 2 is removed from the box body 1, and then the hard bottom board 3 is taken out of the box body 1, and then the box body 1 is folded up along the folding lines 12 (see FIG. 3) and received in a flat manner (see FIG. 4), and then the box cover 2 is folded up along the oblique folding lines 22 (see FIG. 7) and received in a flat manner (see FIG. 8).

FIG. 6 shows an alternate form of the box cover 2. According to this embodiment, each two adjacent vertical peripheral panels 21 and 21A of the box cover 2 are kept spaced from each other by a gap; one vertical peripheral panel 21 of each two adjacent vertical peripheral panels 21 and 21A has an extension flap 24 provided with a pad of hook material 241 and the other vertical peripheral panel 21A of each two adjacent vertical peripheral panels 21 and 21A is provided with a pad of loop material 242 for the fastening of the pad of hook material 241. When the vertical peripheral panels 21 and 21A of the box cover 2 are extended out, the respective pads of hook material 241 are respectively fastened to the respective pads of loop material 242, holding the box cover 2 in shape.

FIG. 9 shows a folding collapsible storage box in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. According to this second embodiment, the box body 1 is a rectangular container, having a vertical partition board 13 fixedly connected between the two opposite long upright side panels thereof on the middle and equally spaced between the two opposite short upright side panels 11C, and two vertical folding lines 12 respectively formed on the two opposite long upright side panels in a diagonal manner relative to the vertical partition board 13 and dividing each long upright side panel a big panel portion 11A and a small panel portion 11B. The short upright side panels 11C have a horizontal width greater than the horizontal width of the small panel portion 11B but smaller than the horizontal width of the big panel portion 11A. The vertical partition board 13 can be made having one single side stitched or fixedly fastened to one long upright side panel of the box body 1. Alternatively, the vertical partition board 13 can be made having three sides respectively detachably fastened to the two opposite long upright side panels and bottom panel of the box body 1 with hook and loop materials. Further, the bottom panel (not shown) of the box body 1 is made out of a flexible material. Further, two hard bottom boards 3 are respectively fitted into the box body 1 and supported on the flexible bottom panel at two sides of the vertical partition board 13 to support the folding collapsible storage box in shape.

When the folding collapsible storage box of the aforesaid second embodiment is not in use, the hard bottom boards 3 are removed from the box body 1, and then the vertical partition board 13 is removed from the box body 1 or turned sideways and closely attached to one long upright side panel of the box body 1, and then the box body 1 is folded up along the vertical folding lines 12 (see FIGS. 10 and 11) and received in flat manner.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or two or more together may also find a useful application in other types of methods differing from the type described above.

While certain novel features of this invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it is not intended to be limited to the details above, since it will be understood that various omissions, modifications, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention. 

1. A folding collapsible storage box comprising: a rectangular box body, said rectangular box body having a flexible rectangular horizontal bottom panel, four hard upright peripheral panels respectively perpendicularly extending from four sides of said flexible rectangular horizontal bottom panel, said four hard upright peripheral panels being hinged to one another, said four hard upright peripheral panels including two first opposite hard upright peripheral panels that are not bendable and two second opposite hard upright peripheral panels that have a respective vertical folding line through which the second opposite hard upright peripheral panels are respectively foldable; a hard bottom panel fitted into said box body and supportable on said flexible bottom panel to support said box body in shape; and a rectangular box cover for covering said rectangular box body, said rectangular box cover having four vertical peripheral panels downwardly extending along four sides thereof, and four oblique folding lines symmetrically formed on two opposite vertical peripheral panels of said four vertical peripheral panels to make said four vertical peripheral panels folding collapsible.
 2. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 1, wherein said box cover has a cushion pad provided at a top side thereof inside a top covering thereof.
 3. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 1, wherein the four hard upright peripheral panels of said box body are equal in size, and the vertical folding line of each of said two second opposite hard upright peripheral panels is formed on the middle of the respective hard upright peripheral panel.
 4. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 4, wherein said first opposite hard upright peripheral panels have a horizontal width smaller than said second opposite hard upright peripheral panels; said vertical folding lines divide the respective hard upright peripheral panels a small panel portion and a big panel portion, said small panel portion having a width smaller than the horizontal width of said first opposite hard upright peripheral panels, said big panel portion having a width greater than the horizontal width of said first opposite hard upright peripheral panels.
 5. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 4, wherein said box body further comprises a vertical partition board connected between said two second opposite hard upright peripheral panels in such a position that said two vertical folding lines are disposed in a diagonal manner relative to said vertical partition board.
 6. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 5, wherein said vertical partition board has one side stitched to one hard upright peripheral panel of said box body.
 7. The folding collapsible storage box as claimed in claim 5, wherein said vertical partition board has three sides respectively detachably fastened to the two second opposite hard upright peripheral panels and flexible bottom panel of said box body. 